What I don't get is if I'm paying $300 an ounce from the down the street, why would I want to pay more for that same ounce because of taxes. I understand it could be fun to occasionally go to the pot store to try new things, but will legalizing really drive away the black market? And why would the grower want to start paying taxes and dealing with regulators?

Pixel_Jockey:What I don't get is if I'm paying $300 an ounce from the down the street, why would I want to pay more for that same ounce because of taxes. I understand it could be fun to occasionally go to the pot store to try new things, but will legalizing really drive away the black market? And why would the grower want to start paying taxes and dealing with regulators?

The article says that legal weed will be cheaper than illegal weed and competition will drive the price down even more.

One of the strongests arguments for legalizing the stupid stuff was the potential tax revenue so quit biatchin and pay up-it's patriotic. Unless you are opposed to roads, public schools and emergency services and desire a Somalian utopia.

183 dolla for a bag for "average" weed? my arse. Me thinks I would just grow my own herb. That's about double exsisting prices under prohibition. Nobody is having to pay some poor bastard to carry half a pound in his ass across the desert so I would expect that the overhead should be cut considerably.

Dusk-You-n-Me:Pixel_Jockey: And why would the grower want to start paying taxes and dealing with regulators?

Because the alternative is having their door kicked down, their dog shot in the head, and their livelihood squashed as they're taken away to prison.

I do understand the desire to go legit for that reason, but I know guy's who have been growing for decades, and have never had their door kicked in, their dog shot in the head or their livelihood squashed as they're taken away to prison. I don't see people like that running out to go legit, and I would rather buy from them then from the inevitable corporate outfits that will pop up.

I used to spend upwards of $2000 a year on weed, so this doesn't seem like that big a deal. Of course that estimate is based on about $40 per 1/8th every week for a year, so it would probably be double their estimate for me in a year.

That is, IF I went back to my old habits. The great irony in all of this is that, even though I live less than 10 minutes away from the WA border where they're just starting to lay out guidelines for legal pot sales, I can't smoke anymore. The career path I chose out here (machinist) kind of frowns upon drug use. The place I work for tests whenever they think they have a reason to (from a minor injury to dropping a basket of parts on the floor) and if I wanted to change companies they'd probably drug test me right off the bat.

I wonder how much money is being spent on crap articles like this by those industries and individuals that are losing money thanks to the legalization of cannabis. They are sure not going to go down quietly are they? Hell, the drug advertisements on tv are usually about 24 seconds, and 16-18 seconds of them are listing dangerous side effects. But, we have to really dig into the nets to find out just how dangerous they really are. You can come up with several articles on the 'dangers' of cannabis these days in a few moments. My favorite is the constant warning about 'short term memory loss'. Umm... thats one of the reasons I use it!

Pixel_Jockey:I do understand the desire to go legit for that reason, but I know guy's who have been growing for decades, and have never had their door kicked in, their dog shot in the head or their livelihood squashed as they're taken away to prison. I don't see people like that running out to go legit, and I would rather buy from them then from the inevitable corporate outfits that will pop up.

He's one of thousands of growers who haven't been arrested. That's great, and if marijuana were legalized you could continue to buy from him. So...yeah.

Here is Pandora's predicament:How can we legalize it, yet make it illegal to grow and sell?Just saying you can't sell it because we said so will only fly for so long. This isn't some home-brew or something that can go bad, this is a weed. So there is no health reason the government can give to prohibit personal sales (As far as I know).If it is legal, then it is like any other agricultural crop.Once that box is opened, you won't be able to close it.

Second point:Yeah, once it becomes legal, prices WILL probably drop, however, you are telling me that the guy who rents out a store fit it out, probably hire employees and pay taxes will be cheaper than the guy growing this in his back yard?!

Don't think so.The only element you'll have then is probably people looking for quality control over price.

people who smoke daily and have a decent job are gonna need about a pound for the year. This would include holidays and friends stopping over etc.

So the 3+ onuces might be for folks who only very rarely puff.

Your habit is going to cost you probably what it costs now unless you are gonna grow it yourself. That is where the big savings is going to come from. Folks who would never risk their home now to seizure would possibly be inclined to setup a small garden.

I think the varieties will increase but the cost will be pretty stable. The cost of MJ has been pretty stable in the black market for a LONG time.

Right now in Colorado top-shelf bud averages about $175-$225 an ounce. The dispensary I patronize just had a sale on an ounce of Larry OG for $150. By the way, let me say as a longtime toker, if by some chance the magnificent bastard who grew that Larry OG bud is reading this, you have grown some of the best bud I've ever smoked in 25 years of imbibing.

mactobain:I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it.I don't buy Chiba, I grow it

Possession is half the law I had my routines before alla y'all Your whole life is coming apart at the seams You ain't nothing but a car thief biting routines See, I'm a city slicker I ain't no townie Right now I wish I had another hash brownie Like Ricky always said you've got to toke and pass Or mookie's gonna kick your motherfarkin ass!

If marijuana were completely legal, it would sell for no more than $10 per ounce, and probably less than that. Look at the price of tobacco or cinnamon or oregano or other such spices which would be similiarly expensive to produce. Marijuana only costs hundreds of dollars per ounce because it's illegal.

kindms:Your habit is going to cost you probably what it costs now unless you are gonna grow it yourself. That is where the big savings is going to come from. Folks who would never risk their home now to seizure would possibly be inclined to setup a small garden.

If you think there's a cost savings possible with gardening- especially quality gardening- you're deceiving yourself. It's an expensive habit, especially at first. Just getting things established above "throw a seed in the ground and see what happens" gets pricey. Quickly. And that's before you try and do things like maintain optimal soil pH.

I grow peppers, not pot, but I know I'd be much better off financially going to a store to but my individual peppers. They can take advantages of economies of scale to lower their overall price. I like growing my own, and it's satisfying to nom on something you raised from a seed... but it's tough to argue that it's saving me money in any way.